NASAA study on aging advisers suggests firms consider requiring succession plans

NASAA study on aging advisers suggests firms consider requiring succession plans
Regulators say older advisory workforce may have issues related to cognitive impairment
JUL 21, 2020

A report from the organization of state and provincial securities regulators found that brokerage and advisory firms need to address issues related to the aging of their increasingly older adviser workforce.

The report from the North American Securities Administrators Association’s committee on senior issues and diminished capacity was based on a series of discussions that state and provincial securities regulators had with broker-dealers, investment advisers and compliance consultants to understand how the industry handles issues related to diminished capacity and cognitive impairment of financial professionals.

The report suggested firms encourage or even require all financial professionals to establish a succession plan regardless of age, and identified several areas for firms to consider, including whether appropriate staff are trained to recognize the red flags of diminished capacity and cognitive impairment. Those interviewed believe there are roles for regulators to play in identifying the problem and setting guidelines and goals on how to address it.

“Addressing financial professionals with cognitive impairment or diminished capacity requires sensitivity and respectfulness. Each situation will present differently and firms will have varying resources to address these concerns,” notes the report, which was prepared by a working group chaired by Claire McHenry, deputy director of the Nebraska Bureau of Securities.

The NASAA board-level committee on senior issues is chaired by Deborah Gillis of the New Brunswick Financial & Consumer Services Commission.

Latest News

Voya expands advisor managed accounts to add private market assets
Voya expands advisor managed accounts to add private market assets

Voya Financial adds private equity, credit and real estate options to its AMA program, building on support for looser federal investment rules in retirement accounts.

With executives leaving, Osaic’s Reid now in the spotlight
With executives leaving, Osaic’s Reid now in the spotlight

Shannon Reid, president of Osaic and the network’s number two executive, has plenty of challenges, industry executives said.

Investors sue crypto fund and platform, alleging $1.5 million never returned
Investors sue crypto fund and platform, alleging $1.5 million never returned

Auditors flagged the commingling. The COO allegedly knew. Investors kept getting the pitch

Wells Fargo nabs $1.7B RBC advisor team, loses two teams to LPL
Wells Fargo nabs $1.7B RBC advisor team, loses two teams to LPL

The advisors on the move include two brothers leading a family practice in Connecticut, and a husband-and-wife tandem working with business owners in the West Coast.

Most potential business successors think there's a plan – but owners say otherwise
Most potential business successors think there's a plan – but owners say otherwise

Business owners and their heirs may be making assumptions instead of having conversations, creating challenges for succession planning, according to new research.

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.